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# Vis Economy of the Order of Hermes

#### by Andrew P Smith

The copyright of this article remains with the original author. Articles may be copied or distributed freely for personal non-profit use, provided that the author is properly credited.

Author's note: This article describes the vis economy of an 11th century Order of Hermes, from the perspective of the Primus of House Verditius, with Tribunals as detailed in Tribunals and their Boundaries. A simple way to adjust this article to conform to `standard' Tribunal boundaries is to discard the information on Aquitania, Supragaetulia and Sarmatica Europea. It is assumed that (Vim) vis extraction is limited to House Verditius. The relative value of Vim vis can be reduced somewhat if vis extraction is more commonplace. The Hermetic Commodity Index will need to be adjusted for especially vis-rich or vis-poor sagas.

### The Vis Economy of the Order of Hermes

#### - by Archmagus Marcus Institor, filius Basilius, Primus Verditii

I bid greetings to my esteemed fellow magi of Verditius, and trust that this missive finds you in a state of equitable health and productive research,

Raw vis, that rare and mystical essence of magic itself, is the single substance most highly prized by all magi. This vis manifests in an amazingly diverse number of different forms, but not all Arts are equally abundant, and some Arts are regarded as more valuable than others. No different from other commodities, the valuation of a particular Art is dependant upon the classic balance of supply versus demand, a delicate measure which can vary significantly between Tribunals. It is a rare covenant indeed which is blessed with a regular harvest of all 15 of Bonisagus' Arts, and as a result, magi who wish to acquire vis which cannot be found within the walls of their abode are obliged to undertake trading with neighbouring covenants. The pattern of the flow of vis throughout the Order illustrates a fascinating and intricate economy at work.

As your new Primus, the duty of furthering the study of my great and now sadly-missed pater Basilius falls squarely upon my shoulders. Before his endeavours, the nature of the patterns of vis distribution throughout the Order of Hermes were largely unknown. Continuing his work, I am now able to reveal more details. The purpose of this document is to engender each member of Verditius with an understanding of the Order-wide vis economy, so that they may be able to undertake trading of vis in a proper fashion. Herein is contained the latest lists of trading rates for all 16 Tribunals. I urge you to use this knowledge with wisdom and discretion.

### Mensuration

All magi should be familiar with the basic units of vis. Vis is measured in Pawns, 10 Pawns comprises a Rook, and 10 Rooks (100 Pawns) a Queen.

### Harvesting

Each covenant has ownership over one or more sites from which a regular quantity of vis can be harvested, usually on an annual or seasonal basis. Each Tribunal keeps a record of all these sites, although in some of the more outlandish areas these records are sadly rather incomplete. In these regions there is noted a greater occurence of disputes of ownership of these sites. Some of these vis harvests provide a guaranteed income, but others are contested. Contested sources typically require the harvesting magus to perform some non-trivial feat, or undertake some challenge. The degree of success is reflected in the quantity of vis received. It is noted that sources of vis which are in the form of gratuity from intelligent magical or Fae creatures are commonly contested, those sources which require little more than a simple act of harvesting are usually not. The two types of source seem to be roughly equally common.

Many covenants also pay or receive tithes of vis, or participate in fixed annual trades. The total of tithes and harvests then forms the guaranteed annual income for a covenant. In total, this comprises at least three quarters of the gross vis income for the Order of Hermes, the remainder coming in the form of one-time harvests. Such vis may be garnered from non-Hermetic wizards, the slaughter of magical or Fae beasts, or from any other sources that an expeditioning magus might come across. This is discussed further below.

Harvested vis may be either divisible or indivisible in form, but divisible vis can be used more flexibly and occurs with greater frequency. Divisibility is only an issue where a single unit of vis has potency greater than one Pawn, of course. Much naturally-occuring vis is already divided, such as a harvest of Herbam vis as a collection of single-Pawn leaves. Other vis may not be pre-divided, but occurs in a form for which this can easily be done, as with vis such as a liquid or powder. Other vis may be very hard, or even impossible to divide, such as a large gemstone which is worth several Pawns. Some Arts (for example Corpus and Terram) are more likely to be indivisible than others (for example Aquam and Auram).

### Consumption

I am sure that the reader need not be reminded of all the different possible means by which raw vis can be expended. The estimated percentage distribution of vis usage, throughout the Order, is as follows:

Study of Arts | 30% Enchantment of Items | 25%
Empowering Ritual Spells (including The Aegis of the Hearth) | 25%
Empowering Non-Ritual Spells | 10%
Other Uses (creation of Familiars, Certamen, miscellaneous laboratory use, etc.) | 10%

This pattern of vis usage varies significantly between individuals, covenants, and indeed Tribunals. A magus of Verditius will create many more items than most magi, whereas a Tremere may fritter away more vis on Certamen. The covenant of Verdi spends most of its vis on item enchantment, whereas Magvillus uses the majority for Ritual magic. We shall see later that some Tribunals are blessed with a greater quantity of raw vis than others. Likewise, some covenants have greater vis harvests than others. Magi in a covenant or Tribunal with limited vis supplies will typically use less vis for study of Arts, or for non-Ritual magic, in favour of the more enduring means of expenditure: enchanting items and casting Ritual magic. It is estimated that somewhat over half of all vis is expended on a personal, rather than a covenant basis.

## Notes on Arts

Here are listed the salient points concerning vis of each of Bonisagus' 15 Arts: the magnitude of supply and demand, typical manifestations, common sources and uses, any observable geographical and temporal trends, storage issues and divisibility.

### Creo

Raw vis corresponding to the Creative Art is relatively plentiful, in fact it is one of the most prevalent types in the whole of Europe, second only to Herbam. Creo vis frequently manifests in many types of fruits, seeds, healing plants or waters, although there is a great deal of diversity. The typical time of harvest is during the Summer season, but seasonal fluctuations in price are mostly negligible. Despite the prevalence of Creo vis throughout the Order, however, it is still highly valued. For many magi, it seems to be the most useful of the Techniques, consumed in the production of healing and longevity potions, many Ritual spells, instantaneous creation of matter and typically in the production of items with creative effects such as wands. Raw vis of this Art tends to store well, since the essence of creation is of course resistant to degradation. No obvious geographical trends among sources of Creo vis have been observed, it is commonly harvested from magical and Faerie sites.

### Intellego

Intellego vis is the most rare and highly prized of all of Bonisagus' 15 Arts, due to its extreme scarcity. Sources of this vis are valued above all others and are very few in number. Indeed, some Tribunals seem to be almost without any regularly harvestable sites on record at all. It is usually only obtained from highly magical areas. Each source seems to be unique, so it is not possible to classify the typical manifestation, although eyes, parchment or tomes, and crystal spheres have been commonly noted. The demand for Intellego vis is high, being commonly used for powerful Quaesitorial Ritual magics. It is also popular among House Criamon, and is used for study by those magi who are fortunate enough to have access to it. Many seek to achieve a greater knowledge of this Art in order to craft potions of longevity. Other uses are rather rare, due to scarcity.

### Muto

By their very nature, sources of Muto vis are rather hard to categorise. Suffice it to say that Muto vis can manifest in many different forms, indeed sometimes the very substance of the vis itself is changing. A high percentage of the harvest comes from Fae sources, and the Art is most plentiful in the vis-rich forests of northern Europe. Overall it is moderately rare, however it is typically the lowest valued of all the Techniques, since demand for this Art is only average. Unlike Creo, Intellego and Rego, there are no special uses for it. It tends to be more popular among nature-oriented magi.

### Perdo

Perdo is of course the complement of Creo, yet Perdo vis is approximately only half as abundant as Creo among all the sources known to magi of the Order. Why is this? The reason is not known, but is a source of debate for some. A current theory proposed by the Bonisagi is that the essence of destruction has a greater tendency to return itself to the ether of fluid vis, rather than coalesce, which seems to be a creative act in some sense. Perdo vis often manifests in the form of poisonous substances (like plant or animal venom) or as some sort of remains (dust, rags and so on). It usually needs to be stored with care, and the typical method of utilising preservative Creo magics can have a perversely destructive effect. Stocks of Perdo vis were significantly depleted during the Schism War, and remain low, so that it is still valued highly.

### Rego

Rego vis is only averagely abundant. A common trend is the tendency for harvests to originate from sites which are in a perpetually magical condition. These tend to be the oldest, most stable sites. For instance, a magical cave which is eternally frozen might yield icicles of Rego vis. Some magi of House Jerbiton have reported that certain ancient lineages of mundane royalty comprise a source of vis, in the form of hair and nails and suchlike. Another common source is the habitat of highly organised colonies of animals (ants, bees, bats and so on). Rego vis is very commonly used for the Aegis of the Hearth Ritual, which boosts demand significantly so that Rego is the third most valuable of the Techniques.

### Animal

Regular sources of Animal vis are only averagely abundant, but there is also a high intermittent yield as much is gained from the slaughter of magical and Fae beasts. It is usually to be found in the form of animal remains: hides, blood, droppings, bone, horns, and so on. Such vis can quite often be indivisible. Most Tribunls have a good supply, especially the northern ones, except for the two southern Tribunals which are mostly desert. Demand tends to be low, except perhaps amongst House Bjornaer. Stocks remain high, as much was garnered from the eradication of the Diedne during the Schism War. Correspondingly, the exchange valuation tends to be one of the lowest, often 3 pawns are needed to trade for a single pawn of Vim.

### Aquam

Aquam is the most common of all the elemental Forms, and is generally one of the cheapest denominations of vis, second only to Herbam. It is very often harvested from magical springs and is usually liquid in form, but can sometimes be found as moss, seaweed or coral. There is quite a marked geographical trend to be observed between the wet lands of northwestern Europe (where harvests are high and prices low) and the drier lands of the southeast (where harvests are low and prices high). Aquam vis is often used for study, but some covenants regularly consume it through Ritual magic, for watering of dry covenant lands or the transmutation of water to wine, perhaps.

### Auram

Auram is the rarest of all the elemental Forms, typically only occuring in hilly or mountainous regions. It is plentiful in the Pyrenees and the Alps, and also in the southern deserts. It is often in the form of air, mist or smoke, which can present problems of harvesting and storage. Rego Auram magic is often efficacious for these purposes. Demand for Auram vis is usually quite low, so that it is only moderately valued, typically slightly cheaper than Ignem.

### Corpus

Fortunately raw vis of this valuable type is not too rare. It is often harvested from graveyards or crypts, stillbirths and suchlike - from mundane sites as often as from magical or Faerie areas. The corpses of dead wizards are frequently worth some Corpus vis. Vis is usually in the form of bones, blood, skin, eyes, teeth, urine or bodily organs, which, like Animal vis, can often be indivisible. Demand for vis of this Art is very high, the principal uses being the creation of longevity potions or charms and magical healing. Corpus is also a popular Art for study and research. Corpus vis is therefore highly prized, and is usually the second most valuable Form, after Vim.

### Herbam

Herbam is undoubtedly the most commonly harvested Art, and it is plentiful in most Tribunals. It is to be found in abundance in many types of magical and Faerie forests, and is only really valued in the extreme desert areas where natural vegetation is scarce. The reason for the prevalence of Herbam vis is not really known, but it is thought that before large-scale habitation in Europe, much of the land was forested, a massive Faerie domain awash with Herbam vis. Herbam still has dominance over many areas today. The vis can be found in many types of plant product: grasses, flowers, seeds, bark, leaves, and so on. Some of these can have a limited shelf-life, leaves eventually dry up and flowers wilt - Creo Herbam magic can be effective in maintaining their condition. The demand for Herbam vis is low, but despite a commonly-held belief it is probably not the lowest of all - some covenants use it for creating food or improving farmland. Consumption of Herbam vis is probably artificially high, due to the great supply and the lowest price of all Arts. It is used quite a lot, for study if nothing else. Perhaps this free availability of Herbam vis for study explains a general lack of Herbam texts throughout the Order? The recent Schism War has bolstered stocks of Herbam vis from the stores of dead Diedne. In fact global stocks are estimated to be the highest of all (more than the reserves of Corpus, Mentem and Vim combined!) and are projected to rise further. As the lowest-valued Art, it is quite commonly used to supplement a small vis trade where a fraction of a more precious Art is called for. As you may be aware, some members of our House are directing their studies towards the goal of transmuting vis from one Art to another. If this could be achieved, it would enable us to transform much of this Herbam vis to a more useful Art.

### Ignem

Ignem vis is only averagely abundant at best, not as plentiful as either Aquam or Terram, but not quite as scarce as Auram. It is most common in the hotter, more southerly Tribunals. Rather fittingly for the Fiery Art, harvests tend to be somewhat unreliable and prices are susceptible to large fluctuations. It is often to be found in the form of magical flames, flammable substances (brimstone, charcoal, oil) or the precious molten rock from the volcanoes of southern Italy. Needless to say, vis of this Art needs to be stored with care, and it can sometimes expire quite rapidly. Demand is average, although it is very popular amongst House Flambeau. Stocks were depleted greatly during the Schism War (a time which saw prices rise through the roof) and remain low. It is generally the most highly valued of all the elemental Forms.

### Imaginem

Sources of this esoteric Art are rare, in fact it is second in scarcity only to Intellego. A high proportion seems to come from Faerie sites. There is a wide range of diversity in the manifestation of vis of this Art, any naturally-occuring item which is strangely coloured or scented could conceivably contain Imaginem vis. Ethereality is common, vis in the form of captured light or sound, which presents obvious difficulties in harvesting, distribution and storage. In some cases the vis may need to be used soon after harvest, for instance light captured in a velvet bag may slowly leak out and dissipate into fluid vis. Despite the rarity of this Art, exchange values are moderately supressed due to low demand.

### Mentem

Harvestable sources of Mentem vis are only moderately rare, they are frequently to be found in haunted areas. Unlike many other Arts, Faerie vis is very uncommon. Vis can occur in the form of some stones or crystals, hallucinogenic plants, in the essences of captured ghosts, from exceptionally cunning magical beasts, or other more esoteric forms such as captured thoughts or emotions. Demand is average for a Form. House Guernicus is a major consumer of Mentem vis, which is employed in the casting of Quaesitorial Ritual magic.

### Terram

Terram vis is fairly plentiful and harvests tend to be very reliable. It is equally abundant in all Tribunals (with the curious exception of Illyria) so that prices tend to be more or less constant and very stable. For this reason, some in our House have proposed the Terram Index as a basis for formulating exchange prices, but this is rejected in favour of Vim, the essence of magic itself, as the proper Art on which to base House Verditius' pricing policy. Terram vis is usually harvested (or mined) underground, in the form of rock, dirt, crystals, gems, stones or metal ores. This vis has a theoretically unlimited shelf life and usually requires no maintenance on the behalf of a praefectus whatsoever. Demand for this Art is fairly low, rather less than in our own House, so that it is among the cheapest. It is occasionally used for powerful Ritual magics to build structures, such as the classic Conjuring the Mystic Tower.

### Vim

Natural sources of Vim vis are moderately rare, and it is estimated that upto one third of the annual harvest throughout the Order is generated by Aura extraction performed by our members. This proportion varies significantly between the central and outlying Tribunals, as does our presence. The raw essence of magic commonly manifests in the form of a silvery liquid, rare crystals or diamonds. Naturally-occuring Vim vis is somewhat more plentiful among the mystical sites of the Illyrian and Syrian Tribunals. The process of Aura extraction has been refined by some members of our House so that the vis can conceivably be harvested into any form, although all vis extracted at Verdi (and other central covenants) is in the form of Verdi Standard Vim, a large silver coin per pawn, franked with the symbol of Verdi. Vim vis is unquestionably the most demanded of all, by a considerable margin. The principal uses are for the enchantment of magic devices and for the casting of the typical Aegis of the Hearth Ritual. The process of attuning a Familiar, which many magi undertake during their lifetimes, typically requires in excess of a Rook of raw Vim vis. It is also in demand for other uses, especially for study amongst Houses Verditius, Bonisagus and Criamon, and for imbuing potions of longevity with their power. Due to this high demand, Vim vis is typically ranked second only to Intellego in our exchange lists.

### Total Harvests and Reserves

According to latest estimates compiled at Harco, magi of the Order of Hermes are in number just over one Thousand. We magi are distributed among the sixteen Tribunals, each Tribunal has a different complement of magi. In particular, the numbers in each Tribunal vary, with the central Tribunals generally larger than the peripheral ones. However we observe the following in general:

The average Tribunal comprises about 60 to 65 magi, distributed among 8 to 10 covenants. The average harvest is 36 Rooks per annum, equivalent to 5 to 6 Pawns per magus, or 3 to 4 Rooks per covenant. This total excludes vis gained from personal sources, or from one-off harvests (as discussed above). Taking such vis into consideration, it is estimated that each Tribunal has a gross annual income of 45 to 50 Rooks. This supplemental vis is typically gained on an individual basis, but the average magus still receives roughly three-quarters of his vis from the covenant direct. The variable and intermittent nature of supplemental vis income means that such gains can affect the local prices of vis, in extreme cases the effect can be adverse, such as the eradication of a local Faerie forest.

Totals for estimated Order-wide harvests and reserves, by Art, have been compiled into the table below. For each Art is given the prevalence rank (where that Art is ranked relative to the others in terms of total harvest), the average Tribunal annual harvest (comprising only regular vis harvests, and excluding supplemental income which is not possible to quantify), the Order-wide annual harvest (the figure as above, multiplied by the number of Tribunals (16), in Rooks), and also the estimated Order-wide reserves (the total of all vis estimated to be currently in reserve in the stores of covenants and magi, in Queens).

                   Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi  TOT

    Preval. Rank    2  15  13   7   9   6   3  11  10   1   8  14  12   5   4

    Av. Tribunal   39  13  18  21  20  25  32  19  20  43  21  17  18  27  27  360

    OoH Total (R)  61  21  28  34  33  40  51  31  32  69  33  27  28  44  44  576

    OoH Res. (Q)   10   5   7   5  11  13  16   5  11  25   4   6   9  16   7  150

## Trading of Vis

Trading of vis can occur on several different levels. Probably the most common type of trade is one between two magi of the same covenant. Such a vis trade is likely to be informal, and may even go unrecorded in the records of the covenant. Where one covenant is deficient in a desired Art, inter-covenant trading may take place. This is a more formal process, quite often conducted through the Redcap network. The majority of vis trades are contained within the individual Tribunals. Trading between Tribunals does of course occur, but is rather less common. This may be at least in part due to the fact that most Redcaps conduct their business in a single Tribunal. Inter-Tribunal trading can go some way towards balancing the surpluses of one Tribunal with the deficiencies of a neighbour, and vice-versa, but this is only partially effective, due to the limited scope of such trading. As a result, price differentials between Tribunals can be dampened, but this effect is quite slight.

It is abundantly clear that a naive system of trading vis on a Pawn-for-Pawn basis would very quickly break down due to the large differences in demand between vis of the 15 Arts. In reflection of the balance of supply and demand for each Art, each Art is valued differently. Trading of vis of different types is therefore undertaken according to certain trading ratios. In some cases, this can mean that it takes several Pawns of one Art to trade for but a single Pawn of another. The most extreme example is a trade of Herbam vis for Intellego vis, for which 5:1, 11:2 and 6:1 are common rates of exchange.

### Average Vis Prices - The Universal Vim Index

The Universal Vim Index (UVI) is the basis for this study of the vis economy of the Order of Hermes, and is a measure of the rates of exchange of raw vis, averaged over all Tribunals. The rates of exchange for an individual Tribunal are given in that Tribunal's Local Vim Index (LVI), which may differ significantly or only slightly from the UVI. The UVI quite simply gives a measure of the number of pawns of each Art that can be exchanged for a Rook of Vim vis. Thus the lower the UVI for an Art, the more highly it is valued. For example, the UVI for Rego is 14, meaning that it usually trades with Vim in the ratio 7:5.

             Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    Rank      4   1   7   6   5  12  14  11   3  15   9   8  10  13   2

    UVI      12   7  15  14  14  28  31  21  12  38  20  19  20  29  10

For the purposes of small or informal vis trades, the 15 Arts can be broadly ordered in the quite noticable price bands as follows:

1. Intellego (usually trades with Vim in the ratio 2:3 or 3:4)

2. Creo, Corpus, Vim (Creo and Corpus usually trade with Vim in the ratio 1:1 or 5:4)

3. Muto, Perdo, Rego (usually trade with Vim in the ratio 3:2)

4. Auram, Ignem, Imaginem, Mentem (usually trade with Vim in the ratio 2:1)

5. Animal, Aquam, Terram (usually trade with Vim in the ratio 3:1)

6. Herbam (usually trades with Vim in the ratio 7:2 or 4:1)

The rates for non-Vim trades can be derived accordingly, for instance Muto would trade with Terram in the ratio 1:2. This basic system was the basis for vis trading before our method was introduced, but has its limitations. Trading rates are too coarse for larger trades, and take no account of regional variations. A magus or covenant will typically not get an amount of vis for an exchange that exactly matches that which was traded. Lower denomination Arts can be used where needed to normalise the trade. For example, let us suppose that Antonius wishes to trade a Rook of Mentem vis for Intellego with Benedict, according to UVI prices. Benedict offers 3 Pawns of Intellego, and to make up the shortfall of exactly one-half of one Pawn, supplements this with either one Pawn of Muto, Perdo or Rego, or two of Animal, Aquam or Terram. For more complicated trades, each portion should be translated to Pawns of Vim Equivalent (PVE) for comparison.

### Indivisible Vis

Divisible vis, being the most versatile, is naturally valued more highly than an equivalent quantity of indivisible vis in a single chunk. When trading an indivisible block for discrete Pawns of the same Art, then, one can expect an inferior rate of exchange. The degradation in value increases with the size of the indivisible block, since the larger the block is, the smaller scope there is for utilising it effectively. For example, 6 Pawns of indivisible vis can typically only be exchanged for 5 Pawns of divisible vis of the same Art.

Very large indivisible chunks of vis are rare, but they do occur. Sometimes very large stones or crystals are found, and huge chunks can reputedly be harvested upon the death of some very potent magical or Faerie creature. With such vis, it is almost inevitable that some of it will be wasted upon usage, because even the most powerful of magi can only utilise so much in a single season or project. There are stories of vast chunks of vis lying in the stores of covenants for decades, with magi reticent to use the vis and suffer the wastage. Also, large chunks of vis are an extremely potent source of magical power, which can be overwhelming for the unprepared magus. In all, a harvest or reward of such a huge chunk of vis must be regarded as a mixed blessing. In the past, some few magi of our House have directed their efforts towards splitting large chunks of vis into smaller portions. Success has been mixed, procedures are known which work on specific manifestations of regularly-harvested vis, but sometimes the process results in wastage of some of the vis, or worse still, outright failure. To date, a general-purpose vis fragmentation Ritual sadly eludes us. If such a method were available, it would significantly minimise the value degradation as detailed below:

Number of Pawns in Indivisible Block: | Trading Ratio with Divisible Vis: | Trade X Blocks to suffer Y Pawns wastage (X / Y): 2-3 | 12:11 (92%) | 6 / 1 (2) or 4 / 1 (3)
4 | 8:7 (88%) | 2 / 1
5 | 15:13 (87%) | 3 / 2
6 | 6:5 (83%) | 1 / 1
7 | 14:11 (79%) | 2 / 3
8 | 4:3 (75%) | 1 / 2
9 | 18:13 (72%) | 2 / 5
10-12 | 3:2 (67%) | 1 / 4 (12)
13-15 | 5:3 (60%) | 1 / 6 (15)
16-20 | 2:1 (50%) | 1 / 9 (18)
21-30 | 9:4 (45%) | 1 / 15 (27)
31-40 | 5:2 (40%) | 1 / 21 (35)
41+ | 3:1 (33%) | 1 / 32 (48)

For the purposes of small trades, however, this table may present a greater degree of refinement than is necessary. For example, where a block of only 2 or 3 Pawns is traded informally, if the buyer aims to be using the block in one, he may be happy with a 1:1 trade.

The trading ratio first begins to tail off after about 5 or 6 pawns. It is very rare that blocks larger than this are used to instill effects into enchanted items, so beyond this point the only real practical use (without wastage) is to empower large Ritual spells. The second noticable tail-off occurs after 10 to 15 pawns. This is the upper limit of efficient Hermetic usage, as only the most exceptionally powerful of Ritual spells require a Rook and a half. Beyond this, no Hermetic use of vis is possible (at least not standard laboratory usage), without either fragmenting, or wasting the remainder of the vis.

In very rare cases, an indivisible chunk of raw vis can sometimes be found which comprises more than one Art, mixed vis. The potential market for using such vis without wastage is smaller still, so that such vis is likely to trade very poorly. Due to the scarcity of such vis, trades are conducted with little or no precedent, so it is not possible to detail rates of exchange further here.

### Non-Vis Trades

It is not always the case that vis is traded for vis. Raw vis is of course the Hermetic unit of currency, and it is commonly used to purchase many different kinds of Hermetic commodities: books (both Hermetic and mundane), magical devices, laboratory equipment, rare and exotic ingredients, the services of a skilled magus (often a Verditius) to create a magical item or potion of longevity. Sometimes even apprentices, magical creatures or covenfolk are sold, though some regard this as a rather distasteful practice.

The amount of vis that will be needed to acquire such commodities can vary significantly between Tribunals, and depends upon two major factors. Firstly, the local abundance of vis must be considered. Hermetic commodities will have a lower vis cost wherever vis is highly valued in general. The other factor is the availability of the commodity in question - the more commonly it is available, the lower the vis cost will be. Therefore it is sensible to purchase tomes from the Grand Library of Durenmar, and to commission items or potions from Verdi. The two most extreme Tribunals in this respect are the Roman Tribunal (where vis is scarce and other commodities are plentiful) and Sarmatica Asiatica (where vis is plentiful and other commodities are very scarce). The costs of commodities in each Tribunal is detailed later in this report.

It is also worth considering the monetary value of vis, since it sometimes happens that vis is exchanged for coinage, or other items of mundane value, such as precious metals, gems, silks, fine wines, exotic spices, livestock, ornamental items, land, titles, and so on. This procedure is generally regarded with disfavour, but it can be appropriate for some magi or covenants. Not surprisingly, since magi value vis far more greatly than mundane wealth, it takes a significant amount of gold or silver to trade for even a single Pawn of vis. Again, the monetary cost of vis varies between Tribunals, with the major determining factor being the level of wealth of local covenants (which has a tendency to reflect mundane regional wealth). Obviously it costs more to buy a Pawn of vis from a rich covenant than a poor one. Another factor is again the local abundance of vis. Monetary costs for each Tribunal are given with the costs of Hermetic commodities.

### House Trading Policies

The majority of vis trading throughout the Order is still done on an informal basis - this is an environment which would be referred to in mundane terms as a seller's market. The magus initiating the trade generally gets a bad deal, since he usually requires vis of a specific Art to fulfil a need, whereas the selling magus is usually under no obligation to sell. The onus is therefore on the initiating magus to provide an incentive for the trade, and he may have to suffer an inferior rate of exchange, or otherwise be unable to secure a deal. In extreme cases, the buying magus can lose upto one third of the value of the raw vis. Such an anarchic means of vis trading acts a supressant to trade and can breed discontentment between magi and covenants. Sometimes, though, trading is undertaken to mutual benefit - often in the form of regular annual trading between covenants with complementary harvests and requirements - but this is the exception rather than the norm.

The reader will be aware that official trading of vis in a precise and efficient manner is undertaken by our House of Verditius, with the assistance of House Mercere for transportation and communication purposes. Our system is generally easier and more effective for the trading magus, and we are usually able to get a better deal than could be otherwise secured. In part this is due to organisation of some inter-Tribunal trading, careful monitoring of exchange valuations, and access to a greater body of vis from which to perform trades. A standard commission charge of 10% is levied on all exchanges, except of course for magi of Verditius who undertake this trading.

This system is currently only operational amongst half of the 16 Tribunals, namely: the Roman and Raetian Tribunals, Germania Magna, Lugdunensia, Aquitania, Narbonesia, Illyria, and the Supragaetulian Tribunal. It is the intention of this Primus to establish the system in most of the remaining Tribunals within the next decade. Probable exceptions are the Carpathian Tribunal (where the Tremere are sadly unwilling to relinquish their monopoly on vis trades), the Scotian Tribunal (which is too chaotic and dangerous) and Sarmatica Asiatica (which is too isolated, with an insufficient Verditius presence).

Each Tribunal has a praefectus maximus, usually the most senior Verditius from the Amber Guild, who is responsible for all official trading. It is arranged with House Mercere that all requests for vis exchanges are to be directed to the praefectus maximus in the first instance. The praefectus maximus is responsible for setting local vis exchange rates, in accordance with trends of harvesting and consumption, and for sending regular summaries of all trading to Verdi, as well as providing information about any fluctuations in prices.

Of course, the praefectus maximus is limited in the amount of vis he or she has access to, so he or she will usually liase with the other Verditii in the Tribunal. Many covenants have at least one Verditius present (but this varies from Tribunal to Tribunal) so this means that a large body of vis in each Tribunal is opened up to trade, assuming that each individual magus is able to successfully petition their covenant upon the matter of vis exchanges. This is greatly helped if the covenant in question has a Verditius as praefectus, as is commonly the case. Those covenants with Verditius presence will inform the praefectus maximus of those Arts in which their covenant is willing and able to trade. There is no compulsion to do so, but individual Verditii are encouraged to volunteer their services amongst the local magi for the purposes of trading vis, so that as many magi of the Order as possible have access to favourable trading. It is expected that in excess of half of the trades in a Tribunal will be delegated by the praefectus maximus to individual Verditii.

The relatively modest commission of 10% is required to cover the costs of the operation (including Redcap services) and to act as a buffer against excessive trading and gross price fluctuations. Any members of our House who are found to be charging in excess of this rate are to be viewed with extreme disfavour, with expulsion being a likely outcome. Where a trade is performed by a member other than the praefectus maximus, a written statement of the transaction, along with half of the commission, is to be sent to the praefectus maximus via Redcap. The other half of the commission is retained by the member. Where it is not possible to divide this, it is kept initially by the member. The praefectus maximus maintains an account of all commission owed, in the form of Pawns of Vim equivalent, or fraction thereof. This vis owed is usually requested when it exceeds one Pawn of Vim equivalent, though it may be in any Art to mutual benefit. Thus a magus who undertakes a series of modest trades will not bother to send the 5% share every time, as such small quantities are not practical. See below for an illustration. Where there is no local praefectus maximus, the vis can be sent to a neighbouring Tribunal. The praefectus maximus then sends this vis, along with half of the commission from trades he or she has conducted personally, to the central stores at Verdi. A further commission, in the form of laboratory services, is then granted to the Domus Magnus of House Mercere at Harco, but I am not at liberty to reveal the precise nature of this arrangement.

In the past this system has been criticised as a nothing but a corrupt means for House Verditius to garner more vis. I would encourage all members to do all they can to dissipate these slanderous rumours, for they cast taint on our House. Remember that our system of trading is a service to other Houses, and that the rewards are deliberately modest. Under no circumstances is any magus to be forced to undertake a vis trade through our official system, but it is expected that magi of Verditius will do so, and encourage others to do likewise.

#### Exempli Gratia

Let us consider the example of a magus, Antonius, who has recently been elected as his covenant's praefectus, and who wishes to actively participate in vis trading in his Tribunal. He notifies his praefectus maximus, Clavius, that his covenant has a surplus of Rego, Aquam and Animal vis that it commonly seeks to trade, and that it has a demand in particular for Creo and Mentem vis, and an occasional demand for Ignem and Corpus. For ease of illustration, let us suppose that vis exchange prices in this Tribunal conform exactly to the Universal Vim Index, though of course no such Tribunal exists in actuality.

Recall that the UVI is thusly:

             Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    Rank      4   1   7   6   5  12  14  11   3  15   9   8  10  13   2

    UVI      12   7  15  14  14  28  31  21  12  38  20  19  20  29  10

- Season 1

  Clavius delivers 6 Pawns of Creo Vis to Antonius via Redcap, with instructions to exchange it for Rego Vis, if possible, which is to be sent directly to another magus in the Tribunal (the magus whose trading request was directed to Clavius in the first instance). Antonius receives approval for the exchange from his peers, and undertakes the exchange. Antonius adds the Creo vis to his covenant's stores and determines that, according to Tribunal prices (UVI), 6 Pawns of Creo are equal to 5 Pawns of Vim Equivalent (PVE). Therefore, 4 and 1 half PVE are owed to the trading magus, in the form of Rego, and 1 half PVE is owed in commission. 4 and 1 half PVE is 6 Pawns of Rego, with a remainder of 1 quarter PVE. A supplement of 1 Pawn of Herbam covers this, so 6 Pawns of Rego and 1 of Herbam are duly sent by return of Redcap. Antonius withdraws 1 Pawn of Auram from the stores for personal use, by way of commission, noting that he now personally owes 1 quarter PVE (half of the commission) to Verdi.

- Season 2

  A fellow magus approaches Antonius with a request to exchange some Animal vis for Mentem (which he cannot get from the covenant). Antonius fowards this request, with the Animal vis, to Clavius. The request is then serviced (either by Clavius or by another Verditius in the Tribunal), and Antonius' fellow magus receives his Mentem vis by return of Redcap in a later season. Antonius receives no commission for this, since commission is to that magus which services a request, not he who initiates it.

- Season 3

  A visiting magus at Antonius' covenant expresses a desire to trade some Ignem vis for Aquam. The covenant approves, and Antonius services the trade. It transpires that the magus has 8 Pawns of indivisible Ignem vis. However, the covenant decides that the resident Flambeau will be able to make use of the vis, and so the trade proceeds, with the incumbent reduction in value for the indivisible chunk. 8 Pawns of Ignem is 4 PVE, but with the reduction of 4:3, this is scaled down to 3 PVE. The visitor then gets 2 and 2 thirds PVE of Aquam, which is 8 Pawns of Aquam (Aquam being valued lower than Ignem), with a remainder of only 1 tenth PVE. Even a Pawn of Herbam does not cover the remainder, but 36 silver Schillings is offered instead (the local worth of one Pawn of Vim vis being 18 gold Ducats). The visitor graciously refuses this money, in exchange for the hospitality he received. Antonius notes that he is entitled to 1 third PVE from the stores, which he elects not to withdraw at this time (but noting it clearly in the covenant's records), and that his account with Verdi through Clavius now stands at 2 fifths PVE, ignoring trivial fractions. Antonius sends a record of the trade to Clavius at the next available opportunity.

- Season 4

  A further consignment of Creo vis arrives to be exchanged for Rego, this time a whole Rook. This is from the same magus as before, but this time the Redcap did not bother visiting Clavius first, since he knew that Antonius' covenant could fulfil the request. The covenant agrees, but decides that this will have to be the last sale of Rego for a while. 1 Rook of Creo is 8 and 1 third PVE, divided as 7 and 1 half PVE to return, and 5 sixths PVE commission. The Rego vis owed is exactly 1 Rook and half a Pawn, or in other words, 1 Rook of Rego vis, plus one Pawn of Animal. This vis is duly returned without delay. Antonius notes that he is now owed 1 and 1 sixth (1 third plus 5 sixths) PVE from the stores, which he withdraws as 2 Pawns of Auram and 1 of Herbam, for personal use. His account with Verdi now stands at 4 fifths PVE, disregarding fractions below 1 twelvth. Although he has not yet been requested to, he decides at this time to clear his account with a Pawn of his personal Corpus vis, which is sent to Clavius for forwarding to Verdi. He also sends notification of this latest trade, also informing his praefectus maximus that his covenant will not be able to trade in Rego vis for the next 6 seasons, and with a further 5 Pawns of his personal Aquam vis which he wishes to exchange (for which he will receive 4 Pawns of Terram, plus 1 of Herbam in due course).

After having undertaken these 3 trades to the benefit of all concerned, in the course of maybe two years, Antonius has modestly benefited by 3 Pawns of his favoured Auram, plus 1 of Herbam, minus 1 Pawn of Corpus - in total 4 fifths PVE. Verdi has also gained 4 fifths PVE, that same Pawn of Corpus.

## Notes on Tribunals

We now analyse each Tribunal in greater detail, illustrating the local abundances of each Art, and giving the Local Vim Index. The influencing factors are discussed, and various other information is detailed. For each Tribunal, we have:

#### Natural Abundance

Quite simply, this figure is the total annual harvest of the entire Tribunal, divided by the number of magi, giving the annual harvest per magus. This only includes vis from registered regular harvests, and disregards any supplemental vis income. It is a reflection of how rich the land is in vis, set against the Hermetic population density. The average value is just under 6 Pawns per magus per annum.

#### Estimated Annual Harvest (EAH)

The total annual harvest of the Tribunal (excluding supplemental vis), as above. For most Tribunals, an exact figure can be calculated from recent records of vis harvests and site ownership. For a few Tribunals, though, this estimate is rather crude, due to the scarcity of records, and so the EAH for each Art is given to the nearest half-Rook. The average value is 36 Rooks per Tribunal per annum, or 24 Pawns per Art per annum.

#### Relative Vim Cost (RVC)

This figure is the local cost of Vim vis in the Tribunal, relative to the local cost of all other Arts. The higher the value, the greater the cost. The value of Vim vis is of course the only Art valuation which cannot be determined directly from the LVI. As Terram vis prices are generally the most stable, the RVC can be roughly deduced by comparison with the LVI for Terram. It is also determined to some extent by records of inter-Tribunal Vim vis trade. The RVC is considered relative to the Roman Tribunal, which therefore has a value of 1.0. Vim vis is slightly more costly relative to other Arts in most other Tribunals, hence the RVC is usually higher. The average value is 1.2.

#### Export/Import

This figure is the total amount of vis that is imported into the Tribunal annually, as a percentage of the EAH. A negative figure indicates an overall export of vis. Broadly speaking, most Tribunals are either net exporters (harvesters), or net importers (consumers). The central Tribunals are mostly importers, the peripheral Tribunals mostly exporters. To a considerable extent, this reflects the power of the local covenants. Older, more established covenants tend to receive tithes of vis, and younger covenants tend to pay them. Also, the presence of covenants which are significant service providers (such as Verdi or Magvillus) boosts the import ratio, as the figure is compiled from all records of vis that crosses Tribunal boundaries, not just tithes. The average value is of course 0%, since the imports and exports balance out.

#### Relative Hermetic Commodity Cost

This figure is a reflection of the worth of non-vis commodities (such as texts, items, the services of a Verditius, etc.) relative to the worth of raw vis. It depends of the natural abundance of vis and the availability of such non-vis commodities. The higher the value, the higher the vis cost of these commodities. Again, this is measured relative to the Roman Tribunal, which has a value of 1.0. All other Tribunals have a higher figure, with the average at 1.4.

#### Monetary Worth

This is the cost of a single Pawn of Vim vis, in Venetian Ducat equivalent. For those unfamiliar with mundane coinage, 1 Venetian Ducat (1D) is a gold coin of the highest quality, equivalent in value to just over 1 pound of pure silver. 20 silver Schillings comprise 1 Ducat. This figure for monetary worth is largely a reflection of the wealth of local covenants. To determine the cost of vis of a different Art, one merely needs to divide the cost of 1 Pawn of Vim by 1 tenth of that Art's LVI. The average value is 18D ppV (per pawn of Vim).

#### Abundant/Scarce Arts

Those Arts for which harvests are either significantly above or significantly below the Hermetic norm are listed here.

#### Price Rank (PR)

The Arts are ranked in order of price. The most expensive Art is ranked 1, the least expensive 15.

#### Local Vim Index (LVI)

For each Art, the LVI represents the number Pawns that are required to exchange for a Rook of Vim vis. The lower the value, therefore, the more highly the Art is valued. The LVI for Vim itself is not meaningful, but is of course always 10. In some cases the LVI is an exact measure as set by the local praefectus maximus, in other cases it is a theoretical measure calculated from records of vis trades (where available) which is merely a guide to typical informal rates of exchange.

#### Hermetic Commodity Index (HCI)

For each Art, the HCI indicates the vis cost of typical Hermetic commodities, relative to the Verdi Standard. The Verdi Standard is a measure of Hermetic commodity value, and is equivalent to an amount of commodity purchaseable with 1 Rook of Vim vis, at the gates of our Domus Magnus at Verdi. Such an amount is equal to any of:

- The services of a journeyman (freshly Gauntletted) Verditius for 4 seasons.
- The services of an expert (about 2-3 decades from Gauntlet) Verditius for 2 seasons.
- The services of a Master Verditius or Archmage for 1 season.
- 4 basic or low-quality texts (an amount scribeable by a journeyman magus in 1 season per text), or 4 copies of standard 5th Magnitude or unique 3rd Magnitude spells.
- 2 intermediate or medium-quality texts, or 2 copies of standard 8th Magnitude or unique 6th Magnitude spells.
- 1 advanced or superior-quality text, or 1 copy of a standard 11th Magnitude or unique 9th Magnitude spell.

The HCI is derived from the LVI by firstly dividing by the relative Vim cost (giving an unweighted Art price) and then multiplying by the relative Hermetic commodity cost. The LVI and HCI are really the most useful measures, the LVI giving the rates of exchange and the HCI giving the costs of commodities.

### Hibernian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           7      Estimated Annual Harvest: 320

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.2      Export/Import:            -6%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.7      Monetary Worth:       12D ppV

    Abundant:       Mu, Aq, He, Im      Scarce:                Re, Ig

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    30  10  20  15  15  35  40  15  15  50   5  20  10  20  20

    PR      5   1   8   6   3  13  14  10   4  15   7  11   9  12   2

    LVI    12   8  19  13  12  34  41  23  12  43  15  24  19  29  10

    HCI    17  11  27  18  17  48  58  33  17  61  21  34  27  41  14

The island of Hibernia has a moderately low population density and is magically quite fertile, vis is relatively abundant, especially in the wilder areas to the west. On the periphery of the Order, non-vis commodities such as Hermetic texts, or the services of skilled magi are highly valued, resulting in a fairly high HCI. Recent records concerning lists of registered sources are rather sketchy, so it is only really possible to estimate the annual harvest of each Art to the nearest half-Rook. Vis trades remain informal and largely unrecorded - the LVI here has been calculated from estimated demand, coupled with what records it has been possible to gather. Therefore the LVI can only be considered a rough guide to typical rates of trade.

Trade with neighbouring Tribunals tends to be limited, due to geographic considerations, so that some prices here deviate sharply from the norm. Hibernia is the wettest region of all Europe - rare is a day without rain - so it comes as little surprise that the Tribunal is awash with Aquam vis. Prices of this Art are the lowest in the Order. Correspondingly Ignem vis is exceptionally rare and very highly valued. The misty Fae forests of the isle are especially rich in Muto, Herbam and Imaginem. Demand for some of the more esoteric Arts is low, as there is a tendency among the magi of the region to be oriented more towards nature or elemental magics.

### Scotian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           7      Estimated Annual Harvest: 360

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.7      Export/Import:            -5%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.8      Monetary Worth:       14D ppV

    Abundant:       Aq, Au, Me, Te      Scarce:                Re, Vi

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    40  10  20  20  10  25  40  25  20  40  20  15  30  35  10

    PR      4   2   7   5   3  11  14  10   6  15   8   9  13  12   1

    LVI    16  11  24  16  13  35  48  33  17  54  26  28  42  41  10

    HCI    17  12  25  17  14  37  51  35  18  57  28  30  44  43  11

Scotia is largely a land of wild, elemental magics, and raw vis is generally quite plentiful here. Many of the resident magi suit the nature of this land, being uncivilised and warlike. Quality Hermetic texts are rare, and co-operation or the commissioning of work here is very uncommon, due to the high degree of hostility and mistrust which seems to exist between neighbouring magi and covenants. Little wonder then that the HCI which has been estimated for this region is second only to Sarmatica Asiatica. The remarks I made concerning the lack of records in Hibernia apply also here, to an even greater degree. Unfortunately then, the estimates of harvests are rather crude, and the calculated LVI is more of a theoretical measure. There is no guarantee that rates of trade can be achieved in accordance with this measure, and there may be significant temporal and geographic fluctuations.

Following the trend of most of the peripheral Tribunals, the prices of some Arts here differ greatly from the Hermetic norm. Most notable is the lowest price for Mentem and highest price for Vim throughout all Tribunals. The haunted glens of the highlands are reported to be a significant source of Mentem vis, yet it is of little value to many of the local magi. The Vim vis harvest is exceptionally low - and of course aura extraction is nonexistant here - so that Vim vis is at a premium, valued even above Intellego! The elemental Forms are highly abundant, especially Aquam and Auram as befits this wet and windy land. However demand for these Arts seems to match the supply, except for Ignem, which is highly valued.

### Britannian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 400

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.5      Export/Import:            -4%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.4      Monetary Worth:       18D ppV

    Abundant:                   Aq      Scarce:                    Vi

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    41  19  24  18  23  32  48  15  22  52  21  18  16  27  24

    PR      5   1   7   4   6  13  14   9   3  15  10   8  11  12   2

    LVI    15   9  19  14  15  39  45  22  14  54  23  19  24  35  10

    HCI    14   8  18  13  14  36  42  21  13  50  21  18  22  33   9

Britannia is more densely populated than the two neighbouring extreme northwestern Tribunals, and raw vis is only averagely abundant. The total harvest is high, higher than either Hibernia or Scotia, but this is explained by the greater size of the land and number of magi. Less far from the highly civilised centre of the Order of Hermes, records of vis source ownership and recent trades are fairly good, so that the price indices here should provide a very accurate measure. Non-vis commodities here conform to the Hermetic global norm. I am informed by my colleagues of House Jerbiton that the recent Norman invasion has brought an influx of wealth to the region, so it is expected that the monetary value of vis will continue to rise as this wealth inevitably filters through to the local covenants.

According to records, the vis harvest of this land is quite diverse, and fairly closely matches the European norm. Except, that is, for a fairly high Aquam yield (although not as high as Hibernia, in relative terms) and a fairly low Vim yield (although not as low as Scotia). Recorded harvests of Intellego vis also seem to have been quite high in recent years. The recent eradication of House Diedne still remains as a strong influence of prices in the region. Despite a commonly-held belief among some of the newly-arrived magi in this Tribunal, the land is not actually awash with Animal and Herbam vis, they are only averagely abundant. The reality is that demand has dropped markedly and the very high stocks of these Forms continue to suppress local worth. Correspondingly there is a dearth of stored vis of types such as Perdo and Ignem, though this effect is not as marked as in neighbouring Lugdunensia.

### Lugdunensian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           5      Estimated Annual Harvest: 360

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.3      Export/Import:            +3%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.2      Monetary Worth:       30D ppV

    Abundant:                 none      Scarce:                In, Au

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    38   5  23  26  24  24  37   0  24  45  18  18  24  23  31

    PR      3   1   9   2   7  13  14   6   5  15   8  11  10  12   4

    LVI    10   5  19  10  16  32  37  15  14  44  17  24  20  31  10

    HCI     9   5  18   9  15  30  34  14  13  41  16  22  18  29   9

This generally flat and unremarkable region has relatively few magical sites - the majority are either near the Fae forests to the west, or in the low-lying swampland to the northeast. Overall, raw vis is sadly rather scarce. However, the region contains a number of quite powerful covenants, which are affluent in non-vis commodities: money, knowledge and experienced magi. Acting as a base for many of the attacks against House Diedne during the Schism War, some of these covenants subsequently sponsored the founding of new covenants across the British Channel. As a result, the general trends of trade across the sea tend to be characterised by a flow of vis southward (in the form of tithes or payments) in exchange for a flow of non-vis commodities northward. Levels of mundane wealth are high, due to the presence of the rich trading houses of Flanders in the Tribunal. It has been noted amongst the records provided by our esteemed local praefectus maximus that Fudarus, Domus Magnus of House Tytalus, has recently traded large sums of vis in a rather erratic and curious fashion. These slightly worrying activities are having a destabilising effect upon the local vis economy.

Most scarce amongst all the Arts here are Intellego (for which there is only a single recorded source) and Auram (for which there seems to be no regular supply at all). There is no Art which is especially prevalent. Demand in this region is still high for Perdo, Ignem and Creo vis, stocks of which still remain extremely low after the Schism War. As a result, these Arts are highly valued. Significant aura extraction largely compensates for a general lack of naturally-occuring Vim vis.

### Aquitanian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 320

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.2      Export/Import:            -3%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.3      Monetary Worth:       20D ppV

    Abundant:                 none      Scarce:                  none

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    32   9  16  15  20  24  34  24  19  38  14  14  14  22  25

    PR      5   1   7   4   6  13  14  11   3  15  10   8   9  12   2

    LVI    13   7  16  13  14  28  34  22  12  42  21  18  21  28  10

    HCI    14   8  17  14  15  30  37  24  13  46  23  20  23  30  11

Rather like the Lugdunensian Tribunal to the north, this land is not especially magical. Many of the major magical sites are to be found in the hills of the Massif Central in the south or the mountains on the edge of the Alps to the southeast, the remainder of the land is mostly equitable and temperate farmland. However this is a smaller Tribunal than powerful Lugdunensia, so there is less competition for vis supplies. As a result, the annual harvest per magus is average: 6 pawns. In fact Aquitania is in many ways the model Tribunal for this study of the Hermetic vis economy - the harvests and prices shadow the Hermetic average most closely of all the 16 Tribunals. The harvest is diverse, there are few gross trends, and trade with the four neighbouring Tribunals means that prices are extremely stable and reliable.

The domed southern hills are a rich source of Auram vis, which is commonly traded with covenants in the Lugdunensian Tribunal. Corpus and Mentem vis is sometimes traded with the Jerbiton-oriented covenants of Narbonensia to the south. Much vis also passes through this Tribunal without changing hands, stowed in the packs of the Redcaps which traverse the land densely, as it is the main route for vis that passes between the northwestern and southwestern Tribunals of the Order.

### Narbonensian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 360

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.3      Export/Import:            -1%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.3      Monetary Worth:       16D ppV

    Abundant:               Au, Te      Scarce:                Co, Me

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    40  12  14  24  20  25  27  27  14  43  24  16  11  34  29

    PR      5   1   8   7   6  13  12  11   3  15   9  10   4  14   2

    LVI    13   8  16  16  14  32  30  27  10  42  20  21  12  33  10

    HCI    13   8  16  16  14  32  30  27  10  42  20  21  12  33  10

The Pyrenees form the principal geographical feature of this Tribunal, neatly dividing it into two. These deserted mountains are also highly magical in places and comprise a rich source of vis. Also of note are the swamps of the Camargue to the northwest. There are several large covenants here, and the overall harvest per magus is fair. The trading route across the Mediterreanean to the Roman Tribunal is the most significant in the Order. Vis from the Pyreneean covenants comes to and from the covenant at Barcelona, and then on to Verdi on Sardinia, and from there to the mainland Roman covenants.

Demand for Mentem vis is very high here, especially amongst House Jerbiton, which has a strong presence. Coupled with a fairly severe scarcity of naturally-occuring Mentem vis, we have as a result the highest cost of this Form throughout the Order. Corpus vis is also very rare and highly valued. Unsurprisingly, Auram and Terram vis are abundant in the mountainous regions. Examining the other two elemental Forms, we observe a trend as we move southwards through the aforementioned Tribunals. Moving towards hotter, drier lands Aquam vis becomes increasingly more scarce, giving way to Ignem. The Ignem harvest is quite good, but the presence of House Flambeau here keeps the demand high.

### Hispanian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           4      Estimated Annual Harvest: 240

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.5      Export/Import:            -7%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.5      Monetary Worth:       20D ppV

    Abundant:                   Ig      Scarce:    In, Mu, An, Im, Vi

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    28   0   8  17  14  13  18  18  16  26  29   3  14  21  15

    PR      3   1   5   6   7  11  13  12   4  15   8   9  10  14   2

    LVI    12   7  14  16  17  28  35  32  14  41  20  22  26  38  10

    HCI    12   7  14  16  17  28  35  32  14  41  20  22  26  38  10

Hispania is a hot and quite mountainous region, populated with an uneasy mix of Christians and Moors. The Tribunal is very volatile, and although there is not a shortage of magical sites per se, many sources of vis are currently contested between covenants. There are a large number of Moorish sorcerors present - efforts to eradicate them are being lead by House Flambeau - who still control a significant minority of the vis harvest. The regular harvest is a meagre 4 pawns per magus per annum, but this figure is only calculated from registered harvests, and so may present a slightly misleading picture when compared to, say, the Roman Tribunal where registered harvests are equally low, but stable. The true figure is likely to fluctuate somewhere above this value, depending on the control of vis sites at any given time. Relationships between covenants here are at best uneasy, and at worst openly hostile, as is the case between the more northerly Christian-dominated covenants of Castile and Portugal and the Muslim-dominated covenants in the Caliphate of Cordoba. Many of the Muslim magi are unfortunately openly tolerant of their hedge wizard kinfolk. Given this unstable background, the high HCI is understandable - exchange of texts or services is uncommon. Trade of vis is also infrequent, as each covenant tends to guard its supplies jealously. Trade prices are very volatile, and the LVI can only be a rough guide.

Ignem is the most abundant Art here, more common even than Creo or Herbam, but prices remain high since a lot of the harvest is used to fuel the ongoing war with the non-Hermetic wizards. As ownership of the various Ignem sources varies, so the price of this Form fluctuates wildly. There is no guaranteed regular income of Intellego vis, although records tell that some has been captured from the sorcerors, so it would seem to be present in the peninsula somewhere. Sources of Muto and Imaginem vis are also exceptionally low. To a lesser degree, Animal and Vim vis are also rare. Although not as abundant in the Pyrenees, Auram and Terram vis remain relatively inexpensive.

### Germania Magna

    Natural Abundance:           7      Estimated Annual Harvest: 520

    Relative Vim Cost:         0.9      Export/Import:            +4%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.1      Monetary Worth:       22D ppV

    Abundant:   Re, He, Im, Me, Vi      Scarce:                    Ig

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    56  20  26  30  34  41  42  17  27  75  15  29  36  28  44

    PR      3   1   6   5   7  13  14   9   2  15   8  10  11  12   4

    LVI     9   5  12  12  13  24  25  15   8  37  13  18  20  22  10

    HCI    11   6  15  15  16  29  31  18  10  45  16  22  24  27  12

Despite being a civilised land of innumerable minor city-states, the Tribunal of Germania Magna is nevertheless blessed with the highest annual vis harvest of all, higher even than Sarmatica Asiatica, and in excess of 5 Queens! The significantly lower (but still high) natural abundance measure when compared to Sarmatica Asiatica is of course due to the much greater number of magi in the Tribunal. Within the west of the land is located the Schwarzwald, the largest forest in all of western Europe, and the greatest single source of raw vis in the Order. Harvests from within the forest are reckoned to be over 2 Queens alone. Shunned by mundane civilisation, the seemingly endless miles of dark forest are an island of mystery surrounded on three sides by cultured cities and farmsteads, and bordered on the south by the foothills of the Alps. Faerie and magical sites are numerous within, and Durenmar is not the only covenant to be found under its eaves. The flat swamps to the northwest and cold bogs to the northeast are also rich in vis. The covenants of Germania Magna are well equipped with Hermetic tomes - the Great Library of Durenmar is of course the foremost in the Order - and other Hermetic commodities are traded freely, and co-operation amongst magi is relatively common. Correspondingly the HCI is low, rated second only to the Roman Tribunal.

The Tribunal is relatively abundant in Rego and Vim vis, much of which comes from the deepest heart of the Schwarzwald. Vim vis is quite cheap, then, except for the southeastern Tribunals the value is the lowest in the Order. Supplies of Herbam vis are quite boggling, it is extremely common and valued low, even relative to the Hermetic norm. The misty and haunted northern bogs are regularly harvested for their valuable Imaginem and Mentem vis. The only scarce Art is Ignem, which has a moderately high value. Corpus supplies are also slightly limited, so that it is valued above Vim. The rates of exchange tend to be very stable, and except for the low prices of Vim and Herbam and the high prices of Corpus and Ignem, they are quite close to the Universal Vim Index.

### Raetian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 360

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.1      Export/Import:            -2%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.2      Monetary Worth:       22D ppV

    Abundant:               In, Au      Scarce:                    An

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    36  21  16  22  18  13  35  32  17  39  20  17  14  31  29

    PR      4   1   6   7   5  11  14  13   3  15  10   8   9  12   2

    LVI    12   7  15  15  12  21  34  29  10  36  20  18  18  27  10

    HCI    13   8  16  16  13  23  37  32  11  39  22  19  19  30  11

The Raetian Tribunal is the most central in the order, covering the entirety of the Alps. Due to the mountainous terrain, and the rather insular nature of some of the old covenants here, it is not actually the crossroads of the Order, as might be expected. From records it has been observed that vis trades, both within the Tribunal and to neighbouring Tribunals, are rare. Supernatural areas are common in the mountains, and vis, when divided amongst all the magi here, is averagely abundant.

Fittingly for the windy peaks of this Tribunal, Auram vis is plentiful. Despite having a relatively high harvest of Intellego vis, the price is still typically high, since little of this vis ever finds its way out of The Caves of Twisting Shadows, from where the majority originates. Animal vis is scarce, and is expensive. Corpus vis is also valued highly.

### Roman Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           4      Estimated Annual Harvest: 340

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.0      Export/Import:           +34%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.0      Monetary Worth:       44D ppV

    Abundant:                   Ig     Scarce: Cr, Mu, Pe, An, He, Me

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    26  15   8  16  24  18  28  19  24  27  40  13  11  32  39

    PR      2   1   7   4   6  14  13  10   5  15  11   9   8  12   3

    LVI     8   5  12  10  12  26  25  19  11  33  23  17  14  25  10

    HCI     8   5  12  10  12  26  25  19  11  33  23  17  14  25  10

The Roman Tribunal is densely populated, and the Dominion is highly dominant. Sadly, magical sites are rare, and Fae sites rarer still. The relatively modest vis harvest, coupled with the large number of magi here, results in a very low natural abundance figure. Vis is valued very highly relative to other commodities, and the shortage means that many magi have to moderate their usage, studying from tomes rather than vis, for example. However, the Tribunal regularly garners an income of 10 to 13 Rooks from outside its boundaries, it is by far the largest importer in the Order. This supplements the natural harvest and moderates the vis shortage. There are several reasons for the high import figure, most significantly the presence of Magvillus, Domus Magnus of House Guernicus, and Verdi. Much of the vis that is gathered by Quaesitores (in the form of fines) and Hoplites (from executed magi and wizards) finds its way through the Redcap network to the gates of Magvillus. It is estimated that this vis alone exceeds 3 Rooks annually. Our great Domus Magnus also supplements its natural vis income in 2 major ways. Firstly, much work (usually items or potions) is commissioned from our members, for which payment is usually in the form of vis. The efficient distribution of these duties among the skilled inhabitants of Verdi means that the covenant is able to garner several Rooks in this fashion. To a lesser extent, vis is also gained through our expanding vis trading network. Harco and Vesuvius are among the other major importers in the Tribunal. The very high worth of vis relative to other commodities such as books or the services of a Verditius (which are commonly available) results in the lowest HCI in the Order. Also, as the great trading cities of northern Italy are the richest in the world, so the covenants here are the richest in the Order. Therefore the monetary worth of vis is exceptionally high, over twice the Hermetic average.

The only Art which is naturally abundant here is Ignem, indeed it is estimated to be the highest harvest in the Order. Over half of these 4 Rooks come from the fiery heart of Vesuvius, Domus Magnus of House Flambeau. This Ignem vis tends to be used locally, so that the trading value of this Art is only slightly lower than the norm. Harvests of Creo, Muto, Perdo and Mentem are all low, and these Arts are valued highly. Little Animal vis is to be found also, but demand for it is low. The natural Herbam harvest is low, but a great deal seems to flood into the stores of Magvillus. I suspect this is largely due to the somewhat anomalous system of House Guernicus whereby vis fines of unspecified types are imposed. Due to the variation of prices, it is little wonder that these fines are often paid in the lowest valued Arts, typically Herbam, but commonly Animal and Aquam also. Due to an arrangement between Magvillus and Verdi, much of this vis is exchanged for Arts that the Quaesitores find more of use, to the mutual benefit of both covenants. Consequently this glut of Herbam vis enters the local economy and compensates for the natural shortage. Local demand is actually slightly high, as some covenants regularly involve themselves in using this vis to improve vineyard harvests and suchlike. The local Intellego harvest is actually above average, but most of these sources are controlled by Magvillus. Indeed, the exceptionally high demand in Magvillus boosts prices above the Hermetic norm. Vim vis extraction is of course very prevalent here, in fact over half of the annual harvest comes from extraction. As a result, the Vim harvest is high relative to the total. Of course Verdi is a major consumer of Vim vis, but we operate a carefully managed policy of charging a proportion of item and potion commission in the Form of Vim, so that Verdi itself is not required to import Vim vis from other covenants. As a result of this policy, we are able to maintain a fairly low local price for Vim, to the benefit of all the magi in the Tribunal, not just the Verditii. Much of the Vim vis here is the Verdi Standard.

### Supragaetulian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 260

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.3      Export/Import:            -8%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.4      Monetary Worth:       20D ppV

    Abundant:           Au, Ig, Te      Scarce:            An, He, Co

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    29  10  11  16  14   4  19  24   9  19  35  14  10  27  19

    PR      4   2   6   7   5   9   8  13   1  12  15  11  10  14   3

    LVI    11   8  17  18  14  20  19  31   8  24  38  21  20  32  10

    HCI    12   9  18  19  15  22  20  33   9  26  41  23  22  34  11

The Supragaetulian Tribunal covers a vast desert area to the south of the Mediterreanean Sea. It is a blisteringly hot, dry and dusty region, largely uninhabitable. Like the mundanes of this land - mostly Moors - the relatively few magi are clustered in covenants along the coast. Due to the large distances involved, contact between covenants, and hence the trade of vis, is somewhat limited. Some of these covenants regularly trade or tithe vis to the Roman Tribunal. Much of this land seems to be quite magical, and although the annual harvest per magus is reasonably good, I would hypothesise that there remain many further sources of vis, perhaps far out in the desert, that are as yet unexploited.

The hot deserts are abundant in most of the elemental Forms, especially Ignem, and also Auram, as fierce sandstorms apparently rage across the desert. Correspondingly, this is one of the best places in the Order to trade in these Arts. Due to the extreme lack of natural rainfall, one might expect Aquam vis to be nonexistant, but this is not altogether true. Some of the oases in the desert are a source, together with the little Herbam to be found here, and also the Nile valley in the extreme east of the Tribunal is reputedly a source of Creo and Aquam vis. Nevertheless, Aquam vis could hardly be considered abundant, and the high demand amongst local magi (probably to guarantee the water supplies of covenants and suchlike) means that the price is high. Matching the inhospitable nature of the land towards both animals and humans, the two corresponding Forms are scarce and trade highly. Herbam vis is useful to many covenants here, but sources are few, so that it is actually valued above the 3 most abundant elemental Forms.

### Sarmatica Europea

    Natural Abundance:           7      Estimated Annual Harvest: 400

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.2      Export/Import:            -2%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.4      Monetary Worth:       16D ppV

    Abundant:           An, He, Im      Scarce:                    Ig

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    38  14  23  22  18  43  33  17  19  64   7  30  16  26  30

    PR      5   1   4   7   6  13  14   9   3  15   8  11  10  12   2

    LVI    14   7  13  15  14  35  35  19  11  44  15  24  19  29  10

    HCI    16   8  15  18  16  41  41  22  13  51  18  28  22  34  12

In some respects, Sarmatica Europea is a smaller duplicate of Germania Magna to the west. Though the total harvest is smaller (but still high) the harvest per magus is broadly similar: high. Mundane civilisation leaves some areas of this land untouched, especially the wild forests to the east which are rich in magic and Faerie power. The largest of these is Bialoweza Forest, home to Crintera, Domus Magnus of House Bjornaer. Some say this forest is larger even than the Schwarzwald, but its borders are less well-defined. Towards the fringes of the Order, some of the covenants here are rather wild or insular, and vis trades are somewhat uncommon.

Like Germania Magna, the forests of this land provide a weighty harvest of Herbam vis and it is cheap. Housing all manner of wild beasts, the eastern forests are also extremely rich in Animal vis, indeed this Tribunal's is the greatest harvest, and Crintera doubtless has the largest supply of any covenant in the Order. Supplies of this Art would seem to be somewhat above demand. Imaginem vis from Fae-oriented sites is also abundant. Demand for Muto vis is strangely rather high, and as a consequence it is rated the second highest of the Techniques. There is not a great deal of Rego or Corpus vis, but the only Art which is significantly scarce is Ignem, for which the annual harvest is less than a Rook, resulting in an inflated valuation.

### Carpathian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           5      Estimated Annual Harvest: 360

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.3      Export/Import:           +12%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.2      Monetary Worth:       20D ppV

    Abundant:               Pe, Co      Scarce:            Cr, Mu, Im

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    29  10  12  34  22  24  31  17  32  44  19   8  22  29  27

    PR      3   1   4   8   5  12  14  11   6  15   9   7  10  13   2

    LVI    10   7  15  20  15  30  32  22  16  43  20  16  22  31  10

    HCI     9   6  14  19  14  28  30  20  15  40  19  15  20  29   9

The politics of this land-locked eastern European Tribunal are almost entirely dominated by House Tremere, through their Domus Magnus at Coeris. The efforts of the Tremere in the previous century to bolster the Hermetic population of this Tribunal have in some respects been a little too successful - despite the fact that there is no lack of magical sites (far from it), the vis harvest is spread too thinly among the numerous magi here. However the dearth of vis is not as severe as in the Roman Tribunal, and the flow of vis into the Tribunal, through House Tremere's archaic system of vis tithes, goes some way towards alleviating the vis shortage. In fact Carpathia is the second largest vis importer in the Order. Vis trading in the Tribunal, which is actually very common, is entirely controlled by the inferior system of House Tremere, some kind of cartel hierarchy. Unfortunately, the Tremere here are rather unwilling to reveal details of vis harvests and trades, however the senior Verditius of the Tribunal was able to provide me with some figures for estimated harvests. There is a considerable degree of suspicion that the senior hierarchy of House Tremere may be artificially controlling prices of vis to help further their aims. As a result, we recommend that vis trading with the Carpathian Tribunal be avoided wherever possible. The Tremere themselves arrange vis trading up the River Danube to Germania Magna and south to Illyria. Of course the LVI here is only a rough guide to House Tremere's typical rates of exchange.

It is evident that the Carpathian Tribunal is the principal source of both Perdo and Corpus vis in the Order. Some magi of House Jerbiton have protested at the rather distateful nature of some of this vis, raising questions over possible significant interference with mundanes in the region. Stories of vis in the form of human flesh, still-beating hearts, and so on may only be apocryphal, but these vis sources are shrouded in secrecy, so it is rather hard to tell. Creo, Muto and Imaginem vis are scarce, perhaps corresponding to the relatively small number of Faerie sites in the region. Prices are estimated to be comparable to the Hermetic norm, except that rates of exchange in Perdo and Corpus are generally favourable and that Creo is quite highly valued.

### Illyrian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 340

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.2      Export/Import:            -3%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.3      Monetary Worth:       26D ppV

    Abundant:               Cr, In      Scarce:                Im, Te

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    53  24  17  21  26  22  32  14  16  35  17   7  15  16  25

    PR      5   2   8   6   7  13  14   9   3  15  12   4  10  11   1

    LVI    16  11  19  17  19  27  29  21  12  34  25  12  22  24  10

    HCI    17  12  21  18  21  29  31  23  13  37  27  13  24  26  11

The Greek mainland and islands which form the bulk of this warm Mediterreanenan Tribunal are blessed with numerous magical sites. Recent reports from House Mercere seem to indicate that there are many potential sources of vis unclaimed on the myriad of scattered islands in the southeast of this Tribunal. That vis which is harvested constitutes an average yield per magus. Trade with neighbouring Tribunals is modest, but due to the differing needs of its neighbours, Illyria has a stable vis market with many unexceptional prices. Creo and Intellego vis are commonly traded with Carpathia to the north.

The ancient Greek sites which provide much of the vis here are the greatest source of Technique vis in the Order. This Tribunal has the greatest percentage of its harvest in Techniques, just over two-fifths. All techniques are plentiful, but Creo and Intellego are especially so. The Creo harvest is secondary only to Sarmatica Asiatica and Germania Magna, and the Intellego harvest is the foremost in the Order. Several recorded sources of Intellego exist, from derelict Greek temples associated with divination and ancient deities. Foremost of these is the Oracle at Delphi. All the Techniques have good rates of exchange, but Creo and Intellego are the best to be found anywhere. Curiously Imaginem and Terram are the scarcest Forms, and are thus valued above the norm.

### Sarmatica Asiatica

    Natural Abundance:           9      Estimated Annual Harvest: 480

    Relative Vim Cost:         1.3      Export/Import:           -14%

    Relative HC Cost:          2.3      Monetary Worth:        8D ppV

    Abundant: Cr, Mu, An, Aq, Au, He, Im, Te    Scarce:          none

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    60  15  25  20  20  40  45  25  25  70  25  25  20  35  30

    PR      4   1   7   6   5  12  14  11   3  15   8  10   9  13   2

    LVI    14   8  18  15  15  30  35  24  12  40  20  24  20  30  10

    HCI    25  14  32  27  27  53  62  42  21  71  35  42  35  53  18

This extreme eastern Tribunal, at the very fringes of the Order, is vast geographically, but relatively small in Hermetic terms. Records from Sarmatica Asiatica are almost nonexistent, so the estimated annual harvest is a rather crude measure, but it is known that raw vis here is exceptionally plentiful! The natural abundance figure here is by far the highest among all Tribunals. Whether this is because the land is inherently more magical is open to question. Covenants are very sparsely distributed, each can harvest from often hundreds of miles around without competition. Or at least without Hermetic competition, hedge wizards and sorcerors reputedly abound here. The great abundance of vis here means that it is commonly consumed in a manner that magi from other Tribunals would regard as frivolous. In particular, study from vis rather than text is the norm rather than the exception. Even poor-quality Hermetic texts are rare and highly valued. House Ex-Miscellanea hold sway here, and the few texts that are scribed locally may typically be written in some primitive script, more often on stone, animal hide or bark rather than quality parchment. One would be hard-pressed indeed to find a skilled magus here willing to undertake work for payment. There is not even a single recorded member of House Verditius here, for example. As a result, the HCI - the value of items, texts and services relative to raw vis - is by far the highest in the Order, well over twice the rate in the Roman Tribunal. Vis trading undoubtedly takes place here, but in a haphazard and disorganised fashion. There do not even seem to be localised conventions for rates of exchange. If the stories are true, some magi here even trade openly with non-Hermetic wizards. As a result, the LVI here is purely an exercise in speculation. Many covenants here are relatively poor, so that mundane wealth is rated very highly relative to vis. Many of the newer covenants here owe tithes of vis outside the Tribunal, and some few use vis to purchase Hermetic items, so the Tribunal is the largest exporter of vis in the Order. All things considered, especially the latent vis supplies, the prospects for long-term expansion in this Tribunal are excellent.

This sparsely inhabited land is plentiful in all Arts, but most especially in the elemental and natural Forms. The frozen wastes to the north are exceptionally rich in elemental vis, and the wild eastern lands supply Herbam and Animal vis seemingly without limit. Those Techniques most associated with the wilderness, Creo and Muto, are also highly abundant. Quixotically, it is theorised that rates of exchange here are actually rather close to the Universal Vim Index - this is because that demand for each Art seems to match its level of supply rather closely. For instance, Herbam vis is in fairly high demand, whereas demand for Vim is slightly supressed.

### Syrian Tribunal

    Natural Abundance:           6      Estimated Annual Harvest: 340

    Relative Vim Cost:         0.8      Export/Import:            -5%

    Relative HC Cost:          1.6      Monetary Worth:       24D ppV

    Abundant:               In, Vi      Scarce:            An, Aq, He

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    EAH    40  20  15  25  25  15   0  20  25  20  25  20  20  30  40

    PR      2   1   8   7   3  10   6  12   4  13  14  11   9  15   5

    LVI     8   7  12  11   9  14  10  16   9  18  20  16  14  20  10

    HCI    16  14  24  22  18  28  20  32  18  36  40  32  28  40  20

On the periphery of the Order, the southeastern Tribunal of Syria is a hot and dusty place, sparsely inhabitated by magi, although Moorish sorcerors are common in the farthest reaches. Vis is moderately plentiful, mostly from strange mystical sites or sources of elemental power. Faerie sites do not exist, or at least not as we traditionally know them. Instead, powerful beings known as djinni are rumoured to inhabit the skies and deserts. Records of vis trades here are sketchy at best, and it is only possible to give approximations for the annual harvests of each Art. Although trade in mundane knowledge seems to be commonplace, the covenants of the region seem to be fairly insular in Hermetic terms. The HCI is thus fairly high, although local Hermetic texts are reputedly of high quality.

The magical sites of the east are very rich in raw Vim vis, and local rates of exchange seem to be exceptionally low. Intellego vis is also highly abundant, and the price is low (but not quite as low as the Illyrian Tribunal). The most remarkable fact is that there are no recorded sources of Aquam vis whatsoever! Demand is high in this dry land, so that vis of this Form is at an absolute premium and considered equally as valuable as Corpus and Vim! Rather like the neighbouring Supragaetulian Tribunal to the west, Animal and Herbam vis harvests are also among the poorest in the Order, reflecting the lack of natural flora and fauna in the region.

### Comparison of Exchange Rates between Tribunals

The LVI for each Art in each Tribunal is divided by the relative Vim cost to give an unweighted price index. This is not really of practical use, since these values have no meaning beyond scholarly interest. They do however serve to illustrate the most favourable trading Tribunals for each Art. In practice, most magi are restricted to trading within their Tribunal of domicile, due to limitations of time, travel, and Redcap service.

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi

    Avera. 10   6  13  12  12  23  26  18  10  32  17  16  17  24   8

    Hiber. 10   7  16  11  10  28  34  19  10  34  13  20  16  24   8
    Scoti.  9   6  14   9   8  21  28  19  10  32  15  16  25  24   6
    Brita. 10   6  13   9  10  26  30  15   9  36  15  13  16  23   7
    Lugdu.  8   4  15   8  12  25  28  12  11  34  13  18  15  24   8

    Aquit. 11   6  13  11  12  23  28  18  10  35  18  15  18  23   8
    Narbo. 10   6  12  12  11  25  23  21   8  32  15  16   9  25   8
    Hispa.  8   5   9  11  11  19  23  21   9  27  13  15  17  25   7
    Ger.M. 10   6  13  13  14  27  28  17   9  41  14  20  22  24  11

    Raeti. 11   6  14  14  11  19  31  26   9  33  18  16  16  25   9
    Roman   8   5  12  10  12  26  25  19  11  33  23  17  14  25  10
    Supra.  8   6  13  14  11  15  15  24   6  18  29  16  15  25   8
    Sar.E. 12   6  11  13  12  29  29  16   9  37  13  20  16  24   8

    Carpa.  8   5  12  15  12  23  25  17  12  33  15  12  17  24   8
    Illyr. 13   9  16  14  16  23  24  18  10  28  21  10  18  20   8
    Sar.A. 11   6  14  12  12  23  27  18   9  31  15  18  15  23   8
    Syrian 10   9  15  14  11  18  13  20  11  23  25  20  18  25  13

### Comparison of Harvests between Tribunals

The figures for estimated annual harvests are summarised here, to illustrate the geographical trends in vis sources of different Arts.

           Cr  In  Mu  Pe  Re  An  Aq  Au  Co  He  Ig  Im  Me  Te  Vi   TOT

    Hiber. 30  10  20  15  15  35  40  15  15  50   5  20  10  20  20   320
    Scoti. 40  10  20  20  10  25  40  25  20  40  20  15  30  35  10   360
    Brita. 41  19  24  18  23  32  48  15  22  52  21  18  16  27  24   400
    Lugdu. 38   5  23  26  24  24  37   0  24  45  18  18  24  23  31   360

    Aquit. 32   9  16  15  20  24  34  24  19  38  14  14  14  22  25   320
    Narbo. 40  12  14  24  20  25  27  27  14  43  24  16  11  34  29   360
    Hispa. 28   0   8  17  14  13  18  18  16  26  29   3  14  21  15   240
    Ger.M. 56  20  26  30  34  41  42  17  27  75  15  29  36  28  44   520

    Raeti. 36  21  16  22  18  13  35  32  17  39  20  17  14  31  29   360
    Roman  26  15   8  16  24  18  28  19  24  27  40  13  11  32  39   340
    Supra. 29  10  11  16  14   4  19  24   9  19  35  14  10  27  19   260
    Sar.E. 38  14  23  22  18  43  33  17  19  64   7  30  16  26  30   400

    Carpa. 29  10  12  34  22  24  31  17  32  44  19   8  22  29  27   360
    Illyr. 53  24  17  21  26  22  32  14  16  35  17   7  15  16  25   340
    Sar.A. 60  15  25  20  20  40  45  25  25  70  25  25  20  35  30   480
    Syrian 40  20  15  25  25  15   0  20  25  20  25  20  20  30  40   340

    TOTAL 616 214 278 341 327 398 509 309 324 687 334 267 283 436 437  5760

## Conclusion

The wisdom contained herein should be of use to all magi of Verditius. I hope that many readers will be encouraged to contribute to the trading of vis throughout the Order of Hermes. Without a strong representation among the Order's covenants, our system of trading will collapse, and all magi will suffer.

Read most carefully that information which pertains to your own Tribunal, so that you are able to undertake vis trading on behalf of your peers in an informed and professional manner, should you so wish.

News of any further breakthroughs concerning the use of Ritual magic for transmutation, extraction or fragmentation of raw vis are eagerly awaited. Please also keep your Domus Magnus regularly informed of any information contained herein which becomes outdated, as these vis exchange lists are constantly subject to change.

Lastly I would like to extend my thanks to those magi of Mercere, and members of our House, especially those responsible for the keeping of records here at Verdi and at Harco, without whose assistance it would not have been possible to compile this report.

#### - Archmagus Marcus Institor, filius Basilius, Primus Verditii

Verdi, 1068 AD.